Film Review: KHOOBSURAT (2014)

Sonam Kapoor suffers from OTT Syndrome 

Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Fawad Khan, Ratna Pathak Shah, Kirron Kher, Aamir Raza Hussain, Aditi Rao Hydari, Ashok Banthia, Cyrus Sahukar
Director: Shashanka Ghosh

I liked the promos and realising that it’s a romance, so wanted to see the film. No one in my family was keen and my friend Pooja was too busy. That’s when I decided to catch the 4.45 pm show yesterday all by myself at Cinemax Sion.

THE STORY

It’s loosely based on Rekha’s Khoobsurat in that it’s about a lively chatterbox landing amidst a serious family. The resemblance ends there.

Dr. Mrinalini aka Mili (Sonam Kapoor) is a physiotherapist for the IPL team. She comes highly recommended and is employed by Rani Nirmala Devi Rathore (Ratna Pathak Shah) to help her husband Raja Shekhar Singh Rathore (Aamir Raza Hussain) who’s been tied to his wheelchair for the last ten years. 

While the Raja’s household is stiff with formality, Mili is as informal as they come. She’s from a fun-loving household of a Punjabi mother Manju (Kirron Kher) and a Bengali father. From the second she steps into the royal palace, it’s like an elephant let into a China shop, literally. 

Prince Vikram Singh Rathore (Fawad Khan) is engaged to Kiara (Aditi Rao Hydari) in an arranged match. Then there is young Princess Divya (Simran Jehani) who wants to become a Bollywood actress. 

While doing her utmost to persuade the depressed Raja to walk, Mili falls in love with Vikram. It’s a hopeless scenario as he is as stiff-necked as his mother and wouldn’t dream of breaking his engagement despite being attracted to Mili. Will Mili ever find happiness?

MY PERCEPTION

The film is an out and out romance. Set in the heart of Rajasthan, the palaces shown in the film are Amber Palace and the Queens’ Winter Palace at Jaipur - places that I had recently visited. I was quite excited with the setting, although this has no reflection on the star rating that I have given the film. 

Newcomer Fawad Khan from Pakistan looks handsome and can act too. He has expressive eyes and fits the part of the stiff-necked Prince perfectly. He has done a very good job of changing slowly into a man in love. One of the scenes I liked best was when he goes to meet his father. Both have moved too far apart and have never had a normal father-son conversation. He’s so stiff and formal with his father and utters a few words in the sense of duty. Superbly done! The smooching scene between Fawad Khan and Sonam Kapoor is super-hot and fits well into the film. Applause!

Ratna Pathak Shah as Rani Nirmala Devi is royalty personified. But then, the role is not much different from her role in Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. She has, of course, performed very well. 

Aamir Raza Hussain as Raja Shekhar Singh has also done a good job in his role as the bitter king who has let go of everything since his elder son’s death by accident. Aditi Rao Hydari appears in just two scenes and simply looks gorgeous. 

Kirron Kher as Punjabi mother Manju has come in similar roles. She fits the role perfectly and is very good.

Now for the heroine! Sonam Kapoor is young, tall, slim and good-looking. She can act too. Then what is it that puts one off while watching her films? My son and daughter refused to come with me to the film because she was starring in it. I felt quite bad. But then, after watching the movie and recalling a few other films that I have seen of hers, I could understand their point of view.

I have seen Sonam Kapoor paying a lot of attention (way too much) to her clothes and accessories in her films, many-a-time to the point of idiocy. There are films in which she is an ordinary working woman wearing high-end brands. Quite difficult to swallow! Well, in this film, she has gone to the other extreme or maybe I don’t know much about fashion. She has fallen over backwards to appear modern or informal or what the hell I don’t quite know. What I could see was that she looked like a buffoon. For crying out loud, she’s a doctor in the film. I am not suggesting that a doctor should be formal. But there is a certain kind of dress sense one expects from a woman who must be at least in her late 20s. Sonam dresses like a girl in her teens. Some of those clothes were such that many youngsters I know wouldn’t want to be seen dead in. Why? 

My dear Sonam Kapoor,

With a little bit of sensitivity and commitment, you surely can get over the Over The Top (OTT) Syndrome that you have been portraying in your films. That will go a long way in making you and your films a greater success. 

All the best!

Yours truly. 

VERDICT: It’s a fun romance in a colourful setting. Yes, Sonam Kapoor is at her OTT best, but the others are very good. Watch at your own risk!

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super